Getty Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
A collage of images shows NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin alongside Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson.
If Denny Hamlin was expecting Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson to turn the other cheek after his criticism of the team earlier in the week, he’ll now have to think again.
Dickerson fired back at Hamlin after the Joe Gibbs Racing star claimed that the team has “no adults in that room” due to their handling of polarizing young star Carson Hocevar.
Hamlin’s remarks came after Hocevar was involved in yet another on-track incident, wrecking veteran driver and former series champion Brad Keselowski in the opening stage of last week’s Southern 500.
Denny Hamlin Blames Spire Motorsports For Not Reining In Carson Hocevar
“You’re not going to get anything more from me. I’m not going to give him what he wants. I’m not going to give him the clip that he wants. Period,” Hamlin stated on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast when asked about Hocevar directly.
However, he did take aim at the team.
“You want me to talk about Spire? I’ll talk about Spire,” Hamlin said. “There’s no adults in that room. Clearly. In that building. No adults. That’s my opinion. Because, how can you honestly think that’s what’s best for your company? If you’re running a serious organization? I think they’re unserious. Anything else?”
That didn’t sit well with Dickerson.
“I took it as a warning.”
Spire Motorsports’ Jeff Dickerson responds to Denny Hamlin. pic.twitter.com/eQgG9Qe6fg
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) September 10, 2026
“I mean, where do I start? I don’t even know where to begin to unpack that. We’re serious enough to sue, apparently,” Dickerson began, referring to the ongoing lawsuit between Spire and Joe Gibbs Racing involving competition director Chris Gabehart.
“No sh-t Denny’s going to say something like that. What do you want me to say? They’re suing us.
“If anybody thinks that I’m going to come onto this show and say Denny doesn’t know what he’s talking about, that’s not going to occur.”
“My first reaction wasn’t Denny doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Denny knows absolutely what he’s talking about. I took it as a warning. Because Denny knows what it looks like when you don’t confront things like this. We ended up with Chris (Gabehart) because of things like this.”
That is quite the clap back. But not everyone at Spire is a fan of the drama.
Daniel Suarez Is The Adult In The Room
While Dickerson and Hocevar are fanning the flames of controversy, Hocevar’s teammate Daniel Suarez just wants the whole thing to go away so that he can focus on racing.
“That’s the only part of that that upsets me a little bit. Here we are, we’re talking about this – We shouldn’t be talking about this. We should be talking about the Chase, how we’re gonna be better, and it’s a distraction,” Suarez told reporters.
“That’s the only part that upsets me a little bit. It creates a narrative that’s a distraction.”
Daniel Suarez had quite a bit to say about the criticism of Spire Motorsports as an “unserious” organization today. More than anything he’s frustrated with the narrative and the distraction it’s created.
“That’s the only part of that that upsets me a little bit. Here we are,… pic.twitter.com/Uv5jRseH9c
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) September 10, 2026
Suarez noted that he has no issue with Hocevar, but he doesn’t want the driver’s antics to affect the reputation or integrity of the team or create distractions.
Unfortunately for him, it may be a bit too late for that.